Bottle-vending machine.



C. DICKINSON. BOTTLE VENDING MACHINE.

APPLlcAlo mm :uns 28.1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

[(/'ck/nfon Patented Sept. `18, 1917.

J. C. DICKINSON. BOTTLE VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION mso :UNE 28. |916.

Paented Sept. 18,1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I CDL/'09275011 wi/twang v simple and eifective arrangement for nenn orar if JOSEPH C. DIGKINSON, 0F COTTONDALE, ALABAMA, SSIGNOB 0F ONE-EMF T0 J'. D. .WBIGHT,` 0F TOOMSUBA, MISSISSIPPI.

- -BOTTLE-VENDING- MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. t8, 191'?.

Application :nea June 2s, i916. serial No. 106,439.

vented certain new and useful Improvements in Bottle-Vending Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in bottle vending machines in which the delivery mechanism is coin controlled and which is particularly designed to provileua c 1 ing the bottles and delivering them thoroughly chilled without requiring but a small quantity of ice.

One distinguishing feature of my invention is the arrangement by which the bottles for some time' before their discharge are submerged in ice water of the lower part of the refrigerating compartment and such an arrangement involves a novel means for raising the bottles successively l from the ice water bath and delivering them features of to the discharge chute or opening.

My present invention also comprises coin controlled means for eecting the delivery of the bottles in which the coin itself forms a temporary operating connection between A the driving and driven elements of the delivery mechanism and in this connection I provide bottle controlled, means which, after the dispensing apparatus is empty yof bottles, will divert any coin inserted and return the same to the customer.

My inventionfurther comprises the novel construction and arrangements of parts, which in their preferred embodiment only are hereinafter more particularly described and illustrated inthe drawings but which may be varied in many respects without departing from the principle underlying my 1nvent1on.

Referring to the drawings Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through the dispensing cabinet taken on the line w-- of Fig. 3. l

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the apparatus.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line y-y of Figft. 4

Fig. 4 is an end view of the cabinet showing its end walls remov'edfto illustrate the operating mechanism and the coin controlled delivery mechanism in elevation.

Fig. 5 is a detail view of the coin chute and the coin return means when the cabinet 1s emp y.

Fig. 6 is a partial perspective view of the coin chute.

Fig. Zis a detail view showing the bottle 1n position to be `withdrawn. from the cabinet. V

Similar reference'numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

As illustrated, I provide a combined ,refrigerator and dispensing cabinet 1 having therein a door 2 for the introduction of ice 3 andvfor charging of the apparatus with bottles 4c to be dispensed. rlhis door may be arranged in any convenient part of the cabinet. The ice rests on a rack 5 suitably mounted in the cabinet, being preferably 4 lleg 9 of the chute which passes with a downward inclination below the ice rack and joins the inner side wall 10 of the refrigy erator compartment at a point near the bottom 11 of the main ice water chamber 12 formed therein below the rack 5. rlhe bottom 11 lies close under the chute 9 and is inclined from the side wall 13 of the cabinet to a point near the wall 10 where it joins the inner side wall 14 of the ejector pocket 15. This ejector pocket is disposed in the leg or support 16 at one side of the cabinet. I provide an outer side wall 17 parallel with and spaced from the wall 10, andthe walls 10, 13 and 17 are connected overhead to the top 18.'v 1n the wall 10 above the water level is provided a bottle outlet opening 19 through which the bottles are adapted to fall upon an inclined chute 20 disposed between the walls 10 and 17 and to slide down the same to a point opposite the normally closed delivery doorl 21, hung on spring hinges A22, which the customer opens to remove the bottles. rllhe bottle is delivered to the chute with its bottom end foremost and the chute is designed to stop the slide of the bottle to prevent its falling out. Ifdesired the bottle can be caused to strike and partly open the door 21, as seen in Fig. 7. The ice rack 5 is connected to a top member 22a on leg 9 of the chute, which member forms a continuation 'of the inner wall of the leg 8 and the bottom Wall of leg 7 of the chute. As this top eX- tends only above a few of the bottles lying at the upper end of the chute leg 9, it will be observed that there is no obstruction interposed between the other bottles near the delivery end of the chute 9 and the ice, thus permitting the chilled currents of ice water to have direct access to bottles that will next be delivered. An overflow outlet 23 from the ice water chamber 12 is disposed at a level which will prevent the water rising to the level of the outlet 19.

It will be noted in Fig. 3 that the delivery end 9 of the bottle chute does not continue to the-wall 10 (see Fig. 3), but stops a distance therefrom slightly greater than the diameter of a bottle fl tov be vended and that a bottom notch 2l is provided in the end of the chute. A presser' plate 25 is mounted fast on a rocker arm 26 so that one end thereof projects below and is free to swing up through the notch 2l in the chute. This plate normally lies horizontal with its end projecting into a .vertical groove 27 in the bottle ejector 28 which works in the compartment 15 and the upper inclined edge of which when lowered forms a continuation of the" chute 9 and receives the lowermost bottle. This bottle, as seen in Fig. 1, rests on the outwardly inclined edge of the ejector 28 and is caused to lean against the wall 10 with which the ejector is in sliding engagement. The rocker arm is journaled in suitable bearings -29 attached under the chute 9 and at its front end is journaled in and pro jects through the casting 30 forming one side guide for the rack bar 31 that is connected to the forwa-rd end of thel bottle ejector 28. I provide a counterweght 32 on the presser plate 25 which will tend to swing the latter upwardly out of the groove 27 so that'it will project through the notch 24 in the chute 9 when there is no bottle resting on the ejector 28,- but when there is a bottle 0n the ejector it overlies the groove 27 and thus serves to hold down the presser plate in its normal position.' Should the presser plate swing to abnormal or vertical position (see Fig. ai), due to the absence of any bottle on the ejector, the rocker arm will 'a crank shaft 40 which is journaled in the walls 10 and 17 and in the castings 30. Fast on the crank shaft is an actuator member l2 carrying in its upper edge a pocket 43 disposed normally to receive a coin 4 after it has fallen through the pocket 38 and arrest it with its upper portion projecting slightly into the lower end of the pocket 38. lf, now, the crank shaft l() be turned the coin will form a driving connection between 42 and 38 and will cause the pinion 39 to turn with the crank. It will be noted that the teeth of the pinion 39 are in mesh With the teeth on the rack bar 31, which bar at its side edges is longitlulinally grooved so as to travel on the guides in the castings 30, which Ahave bottom flanges 30EL by which they are made fast to the bottom of the ejector pocket 15. Aci-ank handle l5 is fast on the outer end of shaft 40 adjacent to the wall 17 and this wall also carries a pair of stop pins lli and 47 which are spaced to limit the travel of the crank. I provide a drain cock 48 at the bottom of the ejector pocket 15 so as to drain the water from the chamber 12. A spring 49 on shaft. l() between the walls 10 and 17 serves to hold the crank against the stop pin 47 and toV return the member l2 to its initial position. It will be noted in Fig. 4. that the pocket 38 has a depending lug which projects into the path of the member 42`so that as the latter is returned to its initial position it will engage lug 52 *and carry'the pinion also back to initial handle 45 and the parts 42 and 38 to be i brought to initial position before the machine can be operated, I provide a curved guard 50 which projects laterally from the pinion in position to travel just under the coin chute and extends from the pocket 38 on the pinion through a sufiicient are to prevent a. coin falling from the chute until the pinion has been returned to initial position by the movement of the handle to its initial position against stop pin 47. l do not thus rely upon the spring 49 to bring the pinion to initial position, but l force the operator to throw the lever back to its sar'ting position before the machine can be operated.

In operation, the door 2is opened and the .bottles are charged endwise to lill the chute.

the ice is then intrmluced. and the box is ready for service. The weight of the ejector 28 and the rack 31 and the action of spring 49 will tend lto more the member l2 to initial position and hold the pinion in the position shown in Fig. 3, wherein its coin pocket 38 is in position to receive the coin from the chute 36. lV hen the coin forms a connection between the two pockets,

madam the crank arm will be in its initial position and as it is drawn forward it will cause the pinion to turn with it and raise the rack and ejector 28, in doing which the bottle resting on the inclined top of the ejector is lifted until it comes opposite the delivery opening 19 in the wall l0, when it will fall through the opening and slide down the chute 20 to the door 21. rEhe actuator is long enough to hold back the bottles on the chute when it is raised so that they cannot fall under it. 'When the crank is released the binding pressure on the coin is likewise released and the latter will fall out of the pocket 38 into a coin till or compartment 5l connected to the front wall of the cabinet and disposed in position to be reached through the open door. lt will be noted in Fig.` 2 that the left hand side of the pocket d3 is sloped outwardly to enable the coin, when released from binding engagement between the pockets by the reverse throw of the handle 45, to release itself from the pockets by rolling down this inclined side of pocket 43 and :falling into the till. The other side of the pocket 43 must not slope outwardly as it is relied upon to force the coin against the pocket 38 to turn the pinion.

l intend to use any well known means for preventing spurious coins, washers, tags, and the like, being used to operate the machine or foul the apparatus. An undersized coin will not Jform an operating connection between the parts 42 and 38, but, when the crank is operated, will be delivered into the tillv without however operating the ejector or remaining to lill the pocket 43. ln like manner when thecabinet is emptied the top end 34 on the rocker arm will be moved by the counterweight into the chute to block the latter just beyond the by-pass so that the coin can lbe returned opposite the door 2l.

In practice, I have found that the utilization of the melted ice water to chill the bottles not only eiiects a great economy in ice but makes the bottles much colder than lwould be the case in an ordinary refrigerator cabinet.

It will be obvious that the arrangement of the bottle chute may be widely varied to suit dierent cabinet constructions, but it is my purpose that the lowermost bottles l should be passed through a bath of ice water before reaching the ejector. andthe ejector should operate to successlvely lift f the bottles from the bath of ice Waterin discharging them. It is preferable that the bottles be arranged withl their necks toward the rear of the cabinet as l can shorten .the length of the ejector and reduce its weight and l find that l obtain a better handling of the bottles in this way.

While l have referred to the elements which co-act with the coin when forming a driving connection as the pockets 38 and 43, it will be understood that the term pocket is used broadly to cover any equivalent means adapted to receive and hold the coin in position between them to form a driving connection when the handle is moved in one direction and to release and discharge the coin when the handle is moved in a reverse direction.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim as new and desire to secure by lietters Patent, isz- 1. ln a bottle vending machine, an ice chamber, a chute leading through the chamber at an incline to a point adjacent to a wall of said chamber, a plunger disposed to receive the bottles successively in its top face which slopes toward the wall and which has a notch therein, a pivoted counter-weighted element normally depressed into said notch by the bottle adjacent to the bottle resting on the plunger, a coin controlled mechanism to move' the plunger vertically,'mechanism controlled by the movement of vsaid element responsive to its counter-weight to prevent the operation of the coin mechanism, and a discharge chute opening through said wall of the ice chamber above the water level therein and into which the bottles, when raised by the plunger, are adapted to pass, substantially as described.

2. In a bottle vending machine, a refrigerating compartment having an inclined lbottle chute therein, an ice water reservoir in the lower part ofthe refrigerating compartment inwhich the lower end of the chute is submerged, a vertically reciprocable ejector disposed adjacent to a side wall of the reservoir and in position to receive the submerged bottlesl successively from the chute, a rack and pinion means -for raising the ejector and with it a bottle to a point above the water line in said reservoir, a guard on said ejector to hold the bottles on the chute while it is raised, a discharge chute to receive the bottles from the ejector, and coin controlled means to actuate the rack and pinion drive for the ejector.

ln testimony whereof l aiiX my signature. JOSEPH C. DICKINSON.

Witness :v NoMm WELSH. 

